Free The Pleasures of Winter by Evie Hunter Page A

annoyance and a hint of something else. ‘Would you like me to refresh your memory?’
    Abbie stood up and smiled sweetly at him. ‘No thanks, I’d rather have a date with the snake.’
    They pressed on for another hour. Eventually Jack called a halt for lunch. Everyone was starving and even Zeke didn’t complain about the prospect of another meal of cold snake. It was better than larvae. Abbie groaned as she pulled the rucksack off her shoulders. Jack caught her wincing and came over to her.
    ‘OK, what’s in the bag?’
    ‘Nothing. I told you –’
    Jack grabbed the rucksack and tipped the contents on to the ground. One bottle of water. One packet of water-purifying tablets. A small washbag. A plastic bag with used underwear. A Kindle, her cell phone and the heavy rubber case that protected her precious laptop. The digital recorder slid from the bag and landed at Jack’s feet. He picked it up and shoved it into his pocket.
    Abbie stared at the ground. She couldn’t meet Jack’s eyes, but she could feel the anger radiating from him as he loomed over her. ‘What did I tell you?’
    His tone was deadly calm and somehow that was worse than if he had yelled.
    ‘Abbie.’ His hand snaked out and he grasped her chin, tilting her head back. She had no choice but to stare at him.
    ‘It is my laptop. I’m carrying it and it’s none of your business.’
    His grim expression told her that was the wrong answer.
    ‘Hey, Jack, leave Abbie alone. If she wants to carry her –’
    Jack silenced Kevin with a look and turned his attention back to her. The hand that caressed her neck was gentle. He brushed her hair away from her neck and, before she could protest, he had opened two buttons of her shirt and eased it off her shoulder. Her skin was raw where the strap of the bag had chaffed her.
    ‘Look at me, Abbie.’
    She raised her eyes to meet his piercing blue ones.
    ‘Even a minor injury in this terrain can turn nasty very quickly. A laptop can be replaced, you can’t. If you disobey me again there will be consequences. Do you understand?’
    Abbie swallowed and nodded.
    ‘You can have it back when we get out of here.’ Jack released her, repacked the bag and walked away with it.
    Abbie started after him. The nerve of him. Who did he think he was to take her bag and threaten her? Consequences indeed. She would show him consequences when they got back to civilization. ‘Arrogant bastard …’ she muttered under her breath.
    Kevin smirked but she couldn’t respond to his smile.Mixed up with her anger was an annoying and confusing sense of hurt. Jack was disappointed with her. She had let him down. She hadn’t felt so wretched since she’d accidentally broken a window in sixth grade.
    Abbie ate a miserable lunch in silence. She could barely choke down the roasted larvae and even Kevin’s handful of berries didn’t cheer her up. Jack took point and they followed his path, moving steadily through the intermittent rain. After a couple of miles, the usual sounds of the jungle were replaced by something else. Falling water.
    Kevin’s face lit up. ‘Do you hear that?’
    Even the taciturn Zeke managed a smile. ‘I vote that we investigate.’
    ‘Seconded.’ Abbie raised her arm, caught the scent of unwashed flesh and quickly lowered it.
    ‘Hey, Jack,’ Kevin called after him. ‘We’re going to take a detour.’
    They diverted off the rough trail and followed a narrow meandering path through the forest. As the sound of the water grew louder, Abbie’s spirits rose.
    They broke through the cover of trees into the open area and a lagoon beyond. ‘Oh wow.’ Kevin began to unbutton his shirt.
    Zeke sat down. ‘I think I’m going to need a hand to get undressed.’ He looked at Abbie.
    ‘Not a chance,’ she said, with a meaningful glance at his arm, still strapped up with her bra. ‘You’ve exhausted my goodwill as far as clothing is concerned.’
    She checked around her. Despite the enforced intimacy of their